How often does separation lead to divorce?

Approximately 75 percent of the married couples who first choose to “separate for a while” eventually end their relationship in divorce.

Source: “Breaking up is (relatively) easy to do: a script for the dissolution of close relationships” from Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

This quote from the study cites the work of relationship expert John Gottman. Malcolm Gladwell featured him in the bestseller Blink. He’s the researcher who could determine with 90+% accuracy which couples would divorce in 5 years — after just a few minutes of watching how they interact.